kenwood



, @11161111611 June 20,1882.

LLB. HENWOOD. ORE SBPARATOR.

ATTORNEYS.

N, PETERSA Phmo-Limolgraphan wzmingxm im; l

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE HENW'O'OD, 0E NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 259,982, dated June 20, l18822 Application nien February 25, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE EDWIN HEN- WOOD, of the city, county, and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ore-separators, of which the following is a Ifull, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be had to t-he accompanying drawings, forming part of this specication, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a vertical sectional view. Fig..

2 is a plan view of different parts of the same. Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of one of the hollow arms, taken through the line to or, Fig. 1'.

The object of this invention is to facilitate the separation of .gold and other precious'metals from powdered ores and fine sand.

The invention consists in the combination, with the sleeve rotating -upon a vertical drivingshaft and the amalgamating-pan having slots in its bottom, of hollow arms connecting the said sleeve and pan and having slots in the upper sides of their outer ends, whereby quicksilver is projected from the interior of the said arms over the inner surface of the rim of the said pan to separate the metal from powdered ore or sand projected against the said surface; and, also, in the combinatiomwith the shaft carrying the amalgamating-pan and the fan blower, of friction wheels, a horizontal shaft, and pulleys and a belt, whereby the fanblower will be driven from the shaft carrying the amalgamating-pan, as will be hereinafter fully described.

A is the baseframe of the machine, to which is attached, or upon it is formed, a step or bearing,B,for the lower end ofthe vertical shaft C. To the shaft O isattached a pulley, D, to receive a driving-belt for giving motion to the said shaft. Upon the shaft C, above the pulley D, is placed a sleeve, E, to the lower end of which is attached a pulley, F, to receive a belt for giving motion to the said sleeve. Upon the upper end of the sleeve E is placed and to it is attached a hub, G, with radial arms H. The arms H are made hollow, or have deep channels formed in their upper sides and ex- 'tending from their inner ends nearly to their outer ends. The arms H rise outwardly and then curve upwardly at the ends, which are made wide and with flat upper sides, in which are formed long and narrow curved slotsI, y opening into thecavitiesor channels of the said arms H. rThe slots I are vcurved upon the arc u of a circle having its center in the axis of the shaft G. The open upper sides of the arms H are covered and tightly closed by plates J, of Y sheet metal.

I In the inner part of each plate J is formed a small hole, toallow the air in the interior of the arms H to escape when q-uicksilver is being poured into the `'said arms, and in the said a-ir-holes are secured the lower ends of small pipes K, to prevent sand from entering 'the said air-holes, the said pipes being of ysuch a length that their upper ends will be above the bottom of the `amalgamating-pan L. The pan L is secured to the upper sides of the arms H, and is mad'e in the form of an annular plate having a flaring rim, and having its upper surface inclined downward toward the iiaring rim. In the bottom of the pan L, at the inner side of its Haring rim, are formed curved slots M, corre spending in shape, size, and position with the slots I of the radial arms H. The pan L is designed to be lined with amalgamated copper plates in the ordinary manner. With this construction, tbe machine is charged by pouring quicksilver into the pan L, so that it will flow through the slots M I into the interior of the hollow arms H, the air within the said arms escaping through the pipes K. The separator is supported in an uprightpostion by the spider N, in the hub of which the sleeve E revolves, and the outer ends of its arms are secured to posts O, attached to the base-frame A.

'lo the upper ends of the posts 0, or to an annular plate, P, attached to the said posts, is secured the edge of a conical cover, Q, in au opening in the apex of which is secured a hopper, R, through which the powdered ore or sand is introduced into the machine. l

To the upper end of the shaft C is attached the lapex of a conical plate, S, which receives the powdered ore or sand from the hopper R and distributes it against the flaring rim of the pan L. The powdered ore or sand is kept from passing over the upper edge of the flaring rim of the pan L by an inwardly-projecting flange, T, formed upon or attached to the upper edge of the said rim.

To the middle part of the sleeve E is attached the apex of a conical plate, U, which receives the sand as it drops from the inner edge ot' the pan L and discharges the said sand beyond the frame ot' the machine.

To the lower part ot' the shaft C is attached a large beveled friction-wheel, V, the face of which engages with the face ofa small beveled friction-wheel, lV, attached to the horizontal shaft X. The shaft X revolves in bearings attached to the base-frame A, or to supports attached to the said frame, and to its outer end is attached a pulley, Y, around which passes a belt, Z. rIhe belt Z also passes around the pulley a, ofthe fan-blower b, so that the said fanblower will be driven from the shaft G. One or more fanblowers, b, can be used, and their discharge-spouts are so arranged as to direct the airblast against the inner surface of the flaring rim of the pan L in a downwardly-inclined direction, so that the said blast will blow ol` the sand that may adhere to the surface of the quicksilver spread over the inner surface of the rim of the pan L. With this construction, when the machine is being used the centrifugal force engendered by the revolution of the pan L will cause the quicksilver in the hollow arms H to rise through the slots I M and spread itself over the Haring inner surface of the riin ofthe pan L, so as to take up any gold or silver in the powdered ore or sand projected against the said surface from the distributingplate S. The refuse sand falls from the inner edge of the pan L upon the discharge-plate U, and is projected beyond the frame of the machine. As the motion of the pan L is checked or stopped the quicksilverandarnalgam ow back through the slots M I into the arms H, and can be drawn off, when desired, through discharge pipes or faucets c in the lower part of the said arms H.

If desired, the friction-wheels V W may be replaced by beveled-gear wheels, as will be readily understood.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In an orc-separator, the combinatiomwith the shalt G, rotating sleeve E, and the amalgamating-pan L, having slots Min its bottom, ofthe hollow arms H, having slots I, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby quicksilver is projected from the interior of the said arms over the inner surface of the rim ot` the said pan, as set forth.

2. In an ore-separator, the coinbinatiomwith the shaft C, carrying the amalgamating-pan, and the fan-blower b, of the friction-Wheels V W, the horizontal shaftX, and the pulleys and belt Y a Z, substantially as herein shown and described,whercbythe fan-blower will bedriven from the shaft carrying the amalgamating-pan, as set forth.

HORACE E. HENWOOD.

Witnesses:

J. H. ScAnBoRoUGH, C. SEDGWICK. 

